Who invented elbow macaroni

Note: Thomas Jefferson used the word "macaroni" as a general term for pasta. Jefferson's notes on the production of pasta by machine in Italy with accompanying drawing read as follows: The best maccaroni in Italy is made with a particular sort of flour called Semola, in Naples: but in almost every shop a different sort of flour is commonly used; for, provided the flour be of a good quality, and not ground extremely fine, it will always do very well.

A recipe for macaroni in Jefferson's own hand survives: 6 eggs. Charlottesville: Thomas Jefferson Foundation, See p.

The Virginia Housewife. See page Mary Randolph's recipe includes dressing the macaroni with cheese. Transcription available at Founders Online. May 12, ], in PTJ , Manuscript available online at the Library of Congress.

Manuscript available online see image 2 for recipe. Some historians say it was invented in England. Others claim Switzerland as its birthplace. The closest popular recipe is pasta with 4 cheeses ai 4 formaggi.

This recipe is usually made with cheeses such as Fontina, Gorgonzola, Parmesan and Emmenthal, but combinations vary. Italians also usually make this dish with a tube pasta such as penne , rigatoni or short bucatini , rather than gomiti elbow pasta. Chifferi elbow pasta with cannellini beans and tuna. However, there are some delicious Italian pasta recipes for gomiti elbow pasta.

The first one I have posted is made with cannellini beans and tuna. A yummy easy recipe that is seriously nutritious and delicious. Your email address will not be published. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. While up north, near the Alps, the dish was taking a humbler, heartier turn, often simplified to include just pasta, cream, butter and cheese.

Whatever the truth, this humble pasta-with-cheese dish has become an ultimate comfort food in a plethora of cultures and countries around the world, each with their own favoured tweaks. But for me, after my hike in the Alps, few dishes could be as satisfying as the Swiss version in front of me. As I sat atop the mountain, refuelling on this king of carb bombs and watching the nearby cows munch on wildflowers, as they have for millennia, I felt certain this dish will be around for a long time to come.

If you liked this story, sign up for the weekly bbc. Share using Email. By Adam H Graham 31st January Americans especially love to claim macaroni cheese as their own, but a trail of clues points to the Swiss Alps. Did you know